Mayo stands are used in surgical theatres to hold temporarily instruments and materials, such as bandages, dressings, swabs and surgical drapes used in surgery. These stands may include a table surface which is supported at one short end by an appropriately designed mounting. In order to prevent contamination of the table surface, a Mayo stand cover is fitted over the surface, so that one cover panel will be situated on top of the surface and the other beneath said surface. A layer of absorbent material is placed on the outer surface of the cover panel that lies on top of the table surface when the cover is in use. The absorbent layer is intended to prevent liquid, primarily blood, present on the instruments or the material used in surgery from running along the other panel or splashing down onto the floor. When surgery is completed, the stand cover is used as a trash bag into which disposable material is stowed as the cover is removed and turned inside out in the process, so that the then inwardly facing surfaces of the cover will now face outwards.
Mayo stand covers are normally made of plastic material. One problem encountered with thin plastic covers is that the cover panels tend to stick together, therewith making opening of the covers difficult. Besides the obvious solution of using thicker plastic materials, the problem has been solved by providing the plastic layers with patterns of small homogenous plastic or glass beads which are admixed with the plastic compound prior to extrusion. In addition to making manufacture of the covers more difficult and more expensive, this solution has the drawback that the homogenous beads spread radiation when sterilizing the covers by radiation, so as to require a high radiation dose in order to achieve effective sterilization. Another problem with thin covers is that the cover panels are easily penetrated by sharp instruments that are dropped onto the covered table surface during surgery.